Saturday, April 27, 2013

2013 IDEA Asia Karl Popper Debate Championship


AKPDC rounds 1, 2, quarterfinals:
Developing countries should cease efforts to crack down on digital piracy 
AKPDC rounds 5, 6, final:
Access to the internet should be considered a fundamental human right

AKPDC Round 3: The Internet and lifestyles
  • Fan pages or websites that glorify mass killers, rapists and other people who do bad things should be banned
  • Parents should be given full access to their children’s social networking accounts
  • Websites that advertise brides from overseas should be banned

AKPDC Round 4: The Internet and crime
  • Governments should hire hackers to track down cyber-criminals
  • Governments should pay their citizens to put up videos of police brutality on social networking sites
  • Online gambling should be allowed everywhere
AKPDC Octos: The Internet and International Relations
  • Online whistle-blowers (such as Wikileaks) have done more harm than good
    Context: Wikileaks is a non-profit, online organisation that publishes secret information and media leaks from anonymous sources
  • States have the right to turn off the internet during times of crisis/conflict/disaster
  • Democratic states should actively assist locals in oppressive regimes to breach internet restrictions
AKPDC Semis: The Internet and privacy
  • Online anonymity should be abolished
  • States should be able to monitor internet usage of individuals suspected of criminal activity
  • States should create an online public database of criminals

Thursday, April 25, 2013

America's Cup 2013 Motions

Finals
This House welcomes the decline of the USA as the sole global super power.

Semifinals
THBT the two-party system has failed the USA.

Quarterfinal
THW celebrate the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.

Seeding round
THW ban unpaid internships.

US Universities Debate Championship April 2013

US Universities Debate Championship April 2013

Final motion, Whilst recognizing that life begins at conception, still approve of a woman's right to choose. approximate wording.

Semifinal, THW give nuclear weapons to South Korea.

Quarterfinals THBT when writing a constitution new democracies should not include a separation of church and state.

Octos motion: THBT governments should implement protectionist policies in favor of environmentally friendly foreign companies rather than non-environmentally friendly domestic ones.

Round 6: THW make the Pope "ersona non grata" outside of the Vatican until it opens itself to unrestricted external investigation.

Round 5: THBT the actions of female vigelantes in oppressive patriarchal societies are legitimate.

Round 4: THB that the US should offer campaign financing to pro-capitalist candidates in South American elections.

Round 3: THW ban cosmetic Anglicisation procedures.

Round 2: Thw create a global market for citizenship, such that individuals can sell their existing citizenship and buy a new one.

Round 1: The belief of this house is that universities should have a no platform policy for extremist speakers on campus.


German Regional Championships West, Iserlohn, Germany, April 20-21 2013


German Regional Championships West, Iserlohn, Germany, April 20-21
  1. R1: Should we abolish the balancing of federal budgets (Länderfinanzausgleich)?
  2. R2: Should the candidate for Chancellor of a party be elected by all party members?
  3. R3: Do we need the meatfree Monday?
  4. R4: Should Germany disarm completely?
  5. Semi: Should the special status of churches under labour law be abolished?
  6. Final: Should same-sex couples receive full adoption rights?

German Regional Championships North-East, Jena, Germany, April 20-21 2013


German Regional Championships North-East,  Jena, Germany, April 20-21
  1. R1: Should we allow the police to use racial profiling?
  2. R2: Should we put a limit to the time parties can be in parliament?
  3. R3: Should selfishness be proscribed?
  4. R4: It is 1952. Should the Bundersrepublik Deutschland agree to the Stalin-Note?
  5. Semi: Should the country grant bravery medals to drone soldiers?
  6. Final: Should same-sex couples receive full adoption rights?

German Regional Championships South, Austria and Switzerland, Ingolstadt, Germany, April 20-21 2013


German Regional Championships South, Austria and Switzerland, Ingolstadt, Germany, April 20-21
  1. R1: Should exile be reinstated as a form of punishment?
  2. R2: Should we abolish all family (welfare) benefits in exchange for a one-off children premium of 100.000 Euros?
  3. R3: Should all Members of Parliament be selected, not through elections, but through a lottery from among all citizens?
  4. Semi: Should journalists hand the Offshore-Leaks data to the competent authorities?
  5. Final: Should same-sex couples receive full adoption rights?

Hull Open, Hull, England, April 20 2013


Hull Open, Hull, England, April 20
  1. R1: THW ban industrial action in time of economicrecession
  2. R2: THW ban all media (such as music, films and video games) which glorify misogyny
  3. R3: THW end the use of armed drones incounter-terrorism operations
  4. R4: THBT in emerging democracies with a history offemale oppression, women should be granted two votes
  5. Final: THBT western governments should cease all diplomatic,economic and military ties with the Bahrain government and support the opposition movement

Dutch National Championships, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 20 2013


Dutch National Championships, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 20 (translated)
  1. R1: THW ban all beauty pageants
  2. R2: THW abolish all exceptions to the military draft on the basis of religion, sexual orientation or gender in democratic countries that have a compulsory military draft
  3. R3: THW abolish the statute of limitations for serious crimes
  4. R4: THW use military force to destroy North Korea’s nuclear facilities
  5. R5: Infoslide: Greek state debts accumulate to 350 billion Euros at the moment, this is unmanageable/harmful  for the economy, European economic norms deem debts at about half this amount as manageable/healthy. Rich Greeks own a total of 600 billion Euros. Motion: THW bring the Greek debt back to healthy European standards by a one-off wealth taxation of Greek’s rich.
  6. Quarter: Infoslide: Older employees are considered too expensive during economic crises, their salary is set by a combination of collective labour agreements between employer unions and labour unions through the setting of both sector minimum wages and sector increases in wages.  Motion: THBT Dutch labour unions should agree to a structural decrease in pay for older employees
  7. Semi: Infoslide: Criminals are (sometimes) offered a second chance after serving their sentence. They are given a new identity, old records are wiped and they are sometimes offered plastic surgery. Motion: THW offer all citizens, upon request, a second chance
  8. Final: After a military intervention to bring down a dictator, THW put a new dictator in place who is the best possible candidate

Nordic Debating Championships, Helsinki, Finland, April 19-21 2013


Nordic Debating Championships, Helsinki, Finland, April 19-21
  1. R1: THW criminalise adultery
  2. R2: THW have a standing policy of conducting air strikes on government buildings of states which are implicated in the massacre of their own citizens
  3. R3: THW set up an online voting system for citizens to directly choose the distribution of a specified portion of the national budget
  4. R4:THW offer terminally ill patienst the option of a cash grant if they forgo treatment and consent to early euthanasia
  5. R5: THW make development aid conditional on recipient states adopting a one-child policy.
  6. Semi: THW ban the publication of images of terrorist atrocities
  7. Final: THW impose a tax on men to reduce the gender pay gap

Potsdam Puls Punk, Potsdam, Germany, April 12-14 2013


Potsdam Puls Punk, Potsdam, Germany, April 12-14 (translated)
  1. R1:Should we teach beggars profitable street arts?
  2. R2: Should HIV-infected people be forced to take a pill that would kill them within three days?
  3. R3: Should the state give up on shrinking villages?
  4. R4:Should sexual acts with robots be banned, as soon as these are physically comparable to human beings?
  5. R5: Should people with more children be allowed to enter retirement earlier?
  6. Semi: Should scientific writings be freely available?
  7. Should the internet be closed on Sundays?

HSE Open, Moscow, Russia, April 13-14 2013


HSE Open, Moscow, Russia, April 13-14
  1. R1: THW legally bind children to take care of their parents once the parents reach old age.
  2. R2: This house would erect a memorial statue for President Ronald Reagan in the red Square.
  3. R3: TH, as a feminist, would marry a closeted homosexual in order to help him keep his sexual identity secret.
  4. R4: THW, as Russia, offer all Western European millionaires a low tax asylum and full Citizenship in the Russian federation.
  5. R5: THW abolish NATO
  6. Semi: THBT the state should never ever fund the arts or cultural activities.
  7. Final. You are a member of the Pussy Riots. You are presented with a fail safe plan to runaway from prison and start a relatively comfortable life in the west. THW stay in prison.

Estonian Open, Tartu, Estonia, April 12-13 2013


Estonian Open, Tartu, Estonia, April 12-13
  1. R1: THW provide the disabled access to sex workers as part of national health care
  2. R2: THW pay mercenaries to assassinate Kim Jong-un.
  3. R3: THBT governments should actively discourage consumerist lifestyles
  4. R4: TH regrets the EU Troika’s reliance on mainly austerity measures as a solution for at risk Eurozone economies.
  5. R5: THW make failure to render reasonable assistance to a person in distress a criminal offence.
  6. Semi: THBT feminist organisations should not use nudity as a tactic for pursing their aims
  7. Final: TH Regrets the strong social norms in favour of lifelong monogamy.

Enhanced by Zemanta

1st Hangzhou Debate Open 2013 Debate Motions 12th to 14th April

1st Hangzhou Debate Open 2013 Debate Motions ( 12th to 14th April)

Any of the 12 Motions below will be used for Round 1 to Round 6, the Semi Final and the Grand Final of the 1st HzDO2013.

1. This House believes that feminists should not make any cosmetic changes to their appearance, including but not limited to makeup, shaving, and plastic surgeries.

2. This House would ban the teaching of the story of Madam White Snake in Chinese high schools.

3. Knowing that 65% of scholarship winners in China are females, This House believes that China should set up all-males high schools.

4. This House would return all national treasures to their countries of origin, provided they sincerely commit to preserve and display them.

5. Assuming a pill exists to prevent you falling in love, Thia House would take that pill.

6. This House would withdraw all state benefits including healthcare from the voluntarily unemployed.

7. This House would make access to museums, art exhibitions, concerts, attractions, etc, free for people earning less than a certain wage.

8. This House would ban teachers from communicating with school children on online social networking sites (Renren).

9. This House would allow to participate in general election only those people with IQ above a certain level.

10. This House would abolish the keeping of criminal record by the State.

11. This House would ban the public from voting in talent shows.

12. This House would discourage people with genetic diseases from having children and prioritise them in terms of adoption.


 
Enhanced by Zemanta

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

2nd Canton IV 201, April 2012 Motions

2nd Canton IV 201, April 2012 Motions

Rd 1 EDUCATION


1. THBT in public universities, tuition fees should be directly proportional to wealth


2. THW make arts and literature classes optional in all levels


3. THW establish exclusive schools for the LGBTQ


Rd 2 POLITICS


1. TH rejects the resignation of politicians over sex scandals


2. THW outlaw negative advertisements during election campaign period


3. THW no longer reserve seats in parliament for minority groups


Rd 3 ENVIRONMENT


1. TH rejects Earth Hour


2. THBT witnessing the slaughter of an animal must be a prerequisite to eating meat


3. THW allow governments to sell parts of their land to other countries’ waste dumping


Rd 4 WOMEN


1. THBT self-identified feminists have an obligation not to make any cosmetic changes to themselves (ex. Makeup, surgery, etc)


2. THW allow pro-life organisations to pay a woman to deliver the baby


3. THBT feminism should reject monogamous relationships


Rd 5 International Relations


1. THBT it’s high time for Latin America to democratise


2. THBT African countries should reject increasing Chinese involvement in their development


3. THBT non-government entities should not be allowed to meet leaders of rogue states


Rd 6 SEX: Mature edition!


1. THBT victims of sexual abuse by priests of the Catholic Church have a moral obligation to reject financial settlements


2. TH celebrates the rise of “virginity sales” online


3. TH regrets the rise of divorce insurance


Quarters: ECONOMICS


1. THBT tax evasion must be punished with the loss of citizenship


2. THBT it is in the ASEAN’s interest to restore tariffs on Chinese products


3. THW withdraw all state benefits from the voluntarily unemployed


Semis: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT


1. In liberal democracies, THW allow criminals to financially compensate families of victims for a lesser sentence


2. THW keep a criminal record of juvenile delinquents


3. THW pardon illegal immigrants who agree to become material witnesses to a crime


Finals: MEDIA AND ADVOCACY


1. TH regrets the use of explicit and graphic imagery of suffering to promote altruistic causes


2. THW ban reporting on suicides


3. THW allow individuals to run for office in their home country even if they are on political asylum

Transatlantic Debating Championships, Paris, France, April 10-11 2013

Transatlantic Debating Championships, Paris, France, April 10-11 2013
Semi 1: THBT French millionaires should escape to England
Semi 2: THB America has no culture
Semi 3: THB France should be more German
Final: THB Germany should let Europe die

Paris Open, Paris, France, April 6-7 2013

Paris Open, Paris, France, April 6-7 2013
R1: TH, as commissioner Gordon, would never use the bat signal.
R2: TH, as the French Parliament, would not have recognised the Armenian Genocide
R3: THW choose a comprehensive education system where the only selection process is geographical location and NOT intelligence, ability or talent
R4: TH welcomes the anglicization of the French language
Semi and ESL final: It is 1945. THW create a Jewish state in Western Europe instead of the Middle East
Final: Given the technology, THW, as a genius, use this technology to reduce its intelligence to become “normal”

DCU Open, Dublin, Ireland, April 5-6 2013

DCU Open, Dublin, Ireland, April 5-6 2013
R1: THW allow individuals to opt out of employment provisions relating to health and safety in return for increased pay
R2: THW allow sex offenders to choose to undergo castration in return for a considerably shorter sentence
R3: THW ban serving military generals from talking to the media
R4: THBT children in the West Bank should be educated in integrated schools (integrated school is one where students sit in the same classroom and share all facilities irrespective of background (including religion, culture or ethnicity))
R5: THBT in reducing its budget deficit, Ireland should prioritise cutting welfare to an absolute minimum rather than increasing taxes and cutting services
Semi: TH,as the US Republican Party,would end the use of primaries to select their presidential nominee
Final: TH supports Belfast City Council's decision to restrict the flying of the Union Jack outside Belfast City Hall

St Petersburg Debating Open, Saint Petersburg, Russia, March 29-31 2013

St Petersburg Debating Open, Saint Petersburg, Russia, March 29-31 2013
R1: THBT parents of underaged children should not drink alcohol
R2: THW set up brothels in military bases
R3: THW Make US military aid to Israel dependent on Israel accepting the two-state solution
R4: THW force state officials keep all their financial assets in domestic banks
R5: THBT police officers should pose as children on social networking sites to entrap paedophiles
Semi: THW ban all individuals who have advocated or used violence in order to further a political cause in emerging democratic states, from standing for future elections
Final: THBT the state has no responsibility in protecting intellectual property rights

Heriot Watt Open, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 30 2013

Heriot Watt Open, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 30 2013
Round 1: THBT the salaries and the continuation of employment of teachers should be dependant on the academic performance of their students
Round 2: THBT: The international community should support a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict
Round 3: THW: Ban Political Opinion Polls
Round 4: Infoslide: From 1918, the labour party’s constitution declared that the Labour party would strive: “to secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange and the best attainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service” (clause 4, part 4)Clause 4 as a whole was the symbol of the Labour Party’s commitment to “public ownership” and the Party’s principled opposition to market capitalism. Clause 4 was abolished under the leadership of Tony Blair at a special party conference in Easter 1995. Motion: THBT the Labour party should not have revoked Clause 4
Final: THBT the Democratic Party should give up their attempts to regulate firearms and openly seek the complete abolition of firearms (approximate wording)

Kent IV, Kent, England, March 30 2013

Kent IV, Kent, England, March 30 2013
R1: THBT all corporations should become workers' co-operatives.
R2: THW require the consent of the subjects before publishing photographs of celebrities
R3: THBT feminists should support free markets in the developing world/
R4: Infoslide: TH is a juror in trial of leader of large community of first and second gen immigrants. Leader is accused of ABH. TH is certain beyond any reasonable doubt that the community leader is guilty of the crime.TH is also sure beyond reasonable doubt that a guilty verdict would cause riots in the defendant's community.Motion: THW vote to acquit and attempt to persuade other jurors to do the same

Estonian BP Championships, Tallinn, Estonia, March 23-24 2013

Estonian BP Championships, Tallinn, Estonia, March 23-24 2013 (translated)
R1: THW arm Syrian rebels
R2: THBT the state should support home ownership
R3: THBT the International Olympic Committee should ban all athletes who express hostile views towards racial, ethnic or sexual minorities from participating
R4: THW stop funding all space programs
R5: THBT parents have a moral obligation not to consume alcohol
Semi: THBT that extraordinary taxation of saving deposits in times of crisis is justified
Final: THBT people should only be allowed to work in state or local government agencies for a maximum of 5 years

Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) IV, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 23-24 2013

Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) IV, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 23-24 2013
R1: THW require all social networks that offer services to minors to offer parents full unlimited access to their children's accounts
R2: THBT the entire European Union should adopt the ban on communist symbols
R3: THBT Lithuania should recognise Polish as an official language in municipalities with significant populations of ethnic Poles
R4: TH, which is China, would cease all political and economic support to North Korea
R5: THW force employers to allow their employees to work from home whenever physically possible
Semifinal: THW allow the deliberate targeting of civilians in war, where it would significantly reduce casualties in the long term
Final: TH, as Cyprus, would ask Russia for its bailout

Exeter Open, Exeter, England, March 23 2013

Exeter Open, Exeter, England, March 23 2013
R1: THBT Western liberal democracies should ban unpaid internships
R2: TH supports the decision to stop British development aid to India
R3: THBT states should never protect dying languages
R4: THBT the use of violence can be legitimate in political protest
Final: TH supports the creation of a feminist political party

Irish National Maidens, Limerick, Ireland, March 22-24 2013

Irish National Maidens, Limerick, Ireland, March 22-24
THB the pope should be elected by all members of the Catholic Church
THW introduce ethnic and gender quotas for film and television programs
THW not grant amnesty to people who commit atrocities in conflicts
THW allow soldiers to volunteer for experimental genetic and physical modifications
THW prosecute the perpetrators of domestic violence without the victim's consent
Semi: THW die for a cause
Final: THB celebrating housewives impedes the feminist movement

Zeit Debatte Marburg, Marburg, Germany, March 22-24 2013

Zeit Debatte Marburg, Marburg, Germany, March 22-24 (translated)
R1: THW allow the use of bounty hunters
R2: THBT Cuba should prioritise the implementation of capitalism over the implementation of democracy
R3: THW not give out separate art prizes (like the Oscars) for men and women
R4: THBT patriotism is a virtue
R5: THB in a human right to suicide
Semi: THW abolish all limits on the heights of buildings
Final: THW abolish all anonymity for sperm donation

HWS/IDEA Round Robin 2013 Motions

Round 1 Motion: THW allow legislation through voter initiated referenda.

Round 2 Motion: THW establish a US federal court with the authority to approve targeted killings of unlawful combatants.

Motion for round 3: THW prohibit provincial and local governments from offering tax incentives to lure corporations to open business in their domain.

Info slide for round 4: For the purposes of this motion, “stopping the aging process” implies that people’s bodies would cease to age after reaching 35 years old, and so people would have no upper limit to their natural lifespan. It does NOT imply that people would not die of disease or injury that might befall them.

MOTION for ROUND 4: THBT the discovery of a means to stop the human aging process would be a curse to humanity.

ROUND 5 MOTION: THBT governments should use corporal punishment instead of incarceration for a significant number of crimes.

FINAL ROUND MOTION: THW use diversity quotas for university admissions.